It's just life

What's with the triple line breaks I see on all blog comments? Does anyone else see them?

I listened to a Dakota indian speak about Earth, the great mother, this weekend. It seems that the two of us agree that what we do to our planet is a reflection of what we do to our minds. The planet is polluted because our minds are. Not that there's anything wrong in having a polluted mind, but at the end of the day, it feels better having one that is clean and fresh. Working for the environment isn't primarily about reducing carbon gas emission, it's mainly about understanding who we are. The outer comes about when the inner is taken care of.

Just remember that in these Al Gore, Nobel Peace Price days.

As we witness the incredible courage displayed by the people of Burma, especially those brave Buddhist monks, I have no doubt in my heart that the junta's days are coming to an end. Witness now the weakness of people whose lives and livelihood are built on fear. Witness now the incredible power of the human spirit and the power that a clear determination based on love can produce.

Imagine the soldiers as they open fire against those monks. They know all too well that they're comitting treason against their own country, that they are raping their humanity and paving the way for untold personal misery for eons to come. They cannot keep this up for long.

And you can bet this is making China quiver in their pants. China is taking an incredible risk by hosting next year's olympic games and it's possible that these monks know it. China is in very real danger of having their reputation tarnished beyond recognition by events that could very well develop in relation to the Olympics.

In the meantime, the dead monks remain in my heart as a sacrament of love. They give me hope for the future. And they inspire me to do the right things myself. The time to put personal safety and comfort over truth has long gone. This is a new era, the age of the Internet, the second enlightenment. It's our time. It is for fuck's sake! And those monks are helping us reclaim it.

Please try to talk about this as much as you can with those around you.

Democratic Voice of Burma
CNN
New York Times

Three days ago, I came back from the woods from my annual meditation retreat. I spent eight days in silent contemplation, meditation and deep study. My intention for going was quite different this time. Usually, I have been going there to immerse myself in profoundly blissful states of meditation, putting the trials of life on the back burner awaiting my return to reality. That changed a little bit last year, but the process truly came to fruition this year. I have come to understand that these states of consciousness - no matter how blissful - are ultimately unsatisfying if I'm still unable to confront my fears in everyday life. So really, I went there to discover my purpose in life and the world. I like to call it a vision retreat.

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